Geller, Eads ink with Labette

Labette Community College grabbed two of Neosho’s premier student athletes on Monday as they inked letters of intent with Lady Wildcat standouts Hailey Geller (softball) and Tori Eads (volleyball) on Monday at NHS.

Labette Community College grabbed two of Neosho’s premier student athletes on Monday as they inked letters of intent with Lady Wildcat standouts Hailey Geller (softball) and Tori Eads (volleyball) on Monday at NHS.

A standout all over the diamond for coach Melissa Clark, Geller spent most of her time in a Neosho uniform roaming the outfield until splitting time there and on the mound this season. As a Lady Cardinal, Geller figures to see time on the infield where coach Ryan Phillips expects her to make an impact early in her career.

“She can do a lot of good things,” Phillips said. “Most importantly, she can hit. I think she can come in and be an immediate impact player for us.

“She can obviously play the outfield, but we’re going to look at her (in the infield) in the fall. We’ll see if that works out. If not, we know she can play in the outfield. She has a great opportunity to be an impact player in a great program.”

Geller said she’s looking forward to helping the program win a national championship.

“I’ve been wanting to go play college ball ever since I started playing softball,” Geller said. “I want to help them win a national championship, but first I just want to try to get a starting spot.”

During her senior year at Neosho Geller hit .387. Of her 36 hits, 23 were singles with 10 doubles, a triple and two home runs. She drove in 17 runs, scored 20 and swiped 13 bases en route to earning honorable mention all-conference and honorable mention all-district outfield accolades.

“Hailey has been an important part of the program,” Clark said. “She always played her hardest, and was focused on improving her skills and doing her part to see success on her high school team, as well as her traveling team.

“Hailey did a great job of stepping up and being a team leader during her senior year. I am proud of her accomplishments, and look forward to seeing her play at the next level.”

Geller plans to major in pre-med with aspirations of becoming a pediatrician in the future.